Ruth Asawa: Citizen of the Universe

A unique look at the visionary artist, educator, and activist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013).

"I state, without hesitation or reserve, that I consider Ruth Asawa to be the most gifted, productive, and originally inspired artist that I have ever known personally." - R. Buckminster Fuller, 1971.

Although less known outside North America, Japanese-American artist Ruth Asawa is an artist of vital importance to modern art. "Ruth Asawa: Citizen of the Universe," which accompanies the first exhibition of Asawa's work to be staged in public galleries in Europe, introduces European audiences to both Asawa's powerful art—including her signature hanging sculptures in looped and tied wire—and her pioneering education practice. It positions her expansive ethos—her self-identification as "a citizen of the universe" and belief that art education can be life enriching for everyone—as a catalyst for creative forward-thinking in the 21st century.

Focusing on a dynamic and formative period in her life from 1945 to 1980, this book gives readers a unique experience of the artist and her work, exploring her legacy from a European perspective and positioning her as an abstract sculptor crucial to American modernism. It is a wonderful celebration of her holistic integration of art, education, and community engagement, through which she called for a revolutionary and inclusive vision of art's role in society.